How pathetically weak we've become as a nation that has at its historical core the good sense to listen to and nurture ideas.

View full sizeDale Jackson is a morning radio host for WVNN.The Huntsville Times/File

HUNTSVILLE -- Let me be
the first to admit that I don't always agree with morning talk show host Dale
Jackson, the self-titled king of hate radio.He's
intentionally arrogant and craves confrontation. His approach is abrasive, and
he rubs many people the wrong way. Mind you, I'm not taking shots here. I
believe Dale would proudly tell you these same things about himself.

The newest bullet
on his resume is that he's now a columnist on al.com and The Huntsville Times. (Read
how he introduced himself here, and check out his first columns here and here.)

The response
has been, um, expected. There's no neutral place with Dale. You either love him
or hate him.

So why would al.com and The Huntsville Times risk tainting its brand by associating
itself with the likes of Dale Jackson?

Why Dale?

First off,
Dale's no dummy.

He has a telecommunications
degree from the University of Florida and seven years of experience as a daily talk
show host. He routinely has engaging interviews with north Alabama's
decision-makers, including U.S. Congressman Mo Brooks, political scientist Jess
Brown, Huntsville Schools Superintendent Casey Wardynski, state Rep. Mike Ball
and state Sen. Bill Holtzclaw, among others. Admittedly, he doesn't have many
Democrats on the show, although they have an open invitation. That's because
even when he knows you don't agree with him, Dale is still open to having a
conversation -- for better or for worse.

Why now?

Fair or
unfair, Dale's criticism of The Huntsville Times is relentless. He pulls no
punches (before or since establishing this relationship). But we're big boys
and girls. For years, The Times has published letters to the editor that
criticize us. When we make a mistake, we acknowledge it and correct it
publicly. We know it's necessary to have thick skin in this profession.

But this
venture with Dale Jackson is not just a challenge to us, but also to you, our
readers. There's a higher purpose here.

When I look
at the political landscape in this country, it's become the norm to see highly
intelligent people, supposedly the best among us, acting like spoiled children,
who must have their way or else. And even worse, it's not just a matter of
their political opponents having a different opinion on issues, but Republicans
and Democrats demonize each other, convincing constituents that the reason an
opponent disagrees is because he or she is evil and wants to destroy the
country. And worst of all, political opponents literally don't respect each other.
They don't do lunch, they don't have conversations. Oh, they talk – plenty –
but no one listens.

And,
unfortunately, the public has bought what they're selling.

We live in a
society where we can't discuss politics civilly with anyone who disagrees with
us. Many of us can't even tolerate hearing an opinion that's different from our
own. How pathetically weak we've become as a nation that has at its historical core
the good sense to listen to and nurture ideas.

Some readers
expressed such intolerance in the comments section when Dale was announced as a
new columnist with al.com, some even declaring they'd cancel their
subscriptions to The Times. That would be the equivalent of canceling your
cable because one channel broadcasts a show you don't like. I'd only remind you
that you don't have to click on any
link with Dale's name next to it.

Instead of
canceling, I'd encourage you to do something radical – listen. Don't fear
having your ideas and viewpoints challenged. And then engage the conversation.

I've been on
Dale's show twice – we agreed the first time and disagreed the next. What I
experienced on both occasions was lively debate that was absent any venomous
attacks. We shook hands each time and agreed to do lunch in the near future.

Would I
rather Dale lay off the name-calling, and tone down the rhetoric a notch or
five on his show (and in his column)? Absolutely.

What I do
know is that we can sit down and have a conversation about it. And I'm hoping
that if a newspaper editor and a talk radio host can listen to each other, then
maybe our readers, and even our elected leaders, will one day see it's safe to
do the same.

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